Biomass Briquetting for Renewable Energy Production
Summary
Biomass briquetting transforms loose agricultural, forestry or industrial residues into compact, energy-dense fuel blocks through densification under pressure, often with the addition of natural binders. This process enhances fuel handling, storage and combustion efficiency, and reduces transport costs and particulate emissions compared with raw biomass. Typical feedstocks include straw, wood sawdust, nutshell husks and various agro-residues. Pre-treatment steps such as drying and size reduction optimise moisture content and particle size for effective compaction, while die temperature and compression pressure govern briquette density and durability. Biomass briquettes serve both domestic cooking and industrial heat applications, offering a renewable alternative to coal and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Economic viability depends on feedstock availability, process energy consumption and binder cost, with developing and developed economies alike exploring policy incentives and new compaction technologies to promote widespread adoption and carbon-neutral energy generation.
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Biomass Briquetting for Renewable Energy Production publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in biomass briquetting for renewable energy production across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Briquetting: The densification of loose biomass particles into solid fuel blocks under pressure, often with a binder.
Densification: The process of compacting biomass feedstock to increase bulk density and improve handling and combustion properties.
Feedstock: Raw biological material, such as crop residues or sawdust, used as the primary input for briquette production.
Calorific value: The amount of heat released during complete combustion of a unit mass of briquette, expressed in megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg).
Binder: A natural or waste-derived adhesive added to biomass during briquetting to enhance cohesion and mechanical strength.
Durability: A measure of briquette resistance to abrasion and breakage during handling, transport and storage.
References
- A Review of Technical and Economic Aspects of Biomass Briquetting. Sustainability (2020).
- A Review of Biomass Briquette Binders and Quality Parameters. Energies (2022).
- Densification of agro-residues for sustainable energy generation: an overview. Bioresources and Bioprocessing (2021).
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